News

Meet The Smart Contact Lenses Powered By Tears

Researchers in Singapore have revolutionized the humble contact lens with self-charging smart capabilities.

Published

3 years ago

October 30, 2023

Nour Nasir

meet the smart contact lenses powered by tears

NTU Singapore

Contact lenses have been used to successfully correct vision for decades, but recently, they’re beginning to evolve into something much more interesting.

Researchers from the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore have developed a tiny micrometer-thin battery that can power futuristic smart contact lenses that rely on the wearer’s tears for power.

Although smart contacts are nothing new, most attempts so far have relied on thin batteries with tiny induction coils and wires. Obviously, these metal parts aren’t ideal for a device that sits directly on the wearer’s eye, so an NTU School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) research team led by Lee Seok Woo has been working on something better.

According to a press release, the NTU team’s battery uses biocompatible materials coated with a glucose-based layer. The coating reacts with the sodium and chloride ions present in the battery to generate electricity. Since both sodium and chloride ions are also found in tears, the smart lens battery can also be recharged while in use with no additional effort from the wearer.

Speaking about the research, Lee Seok Woo said, “This research began with a simple question: Could contact lens batteries be recharged with our tears? Previous techniques for lens batteries were imperfect, as one side of the battery electrode was charged, and the other was not. Our approach can charge both electrodes of a battery through a unique combination of enzymatic reaction and self-reduction reaction”.

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According to the NTU team, the lenses should be good for a full day of use, and can also be placed in a special solution that keeps the battery charged. “By combining the battery and biofuel cell into a single component, the battery can charge itself without the need for additional space for wired or wireless components. Furthermore, the electrodes placed at the outer side of the smart contact lenses ensure that the eye’s vision cannot be obstructed”.

The NTU scientists are already working on boosting the amount of electricity the lens battery can deliver. Their research has been published in the journal Nano Energy, and they’re also in the process of partnering with contact lens producers to bring the technology to the market.

News

Lebanon Ministers Meet Visa Over National Digital Payment Platform

Finance and technology ministers say a comparative study and roadmap will follow before any decision on adopting a model.

Published

20 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Joanna Melki

lebanon ministers meet visa over national digital payment platform

Lebanon’s finance and technology ministers met representatives from Visa last week to discuss a proposed unified national digital payment platform for government services, according to a readout from the Ministry of Finance.

The meeting brought together Finance Minister Yassin Jaber, Minister of State for Technology and Artificial Intelligence Kamal Shehadeh, a Visa delegation, and experts from both ministries. Discussion focused on whether Lebanon could establish a single platform through which citizens and institutions would pay taxes, fees, fines and other official transactions electronically, using mobile phones and other digital channels.

The Visa delegation presented examples from countries that have adopted unified government payment platforms, including the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Estonia and Jordan. According to the readout, the examples were presented as having increased collection rates and expanded financial inclusion.

Talks covered settlement mechanisms, direct transfer to the treasury account, financial reconciliation, risk management, cybersecurity, fees, and an operational model that would involve the private sector. The parties agreed to continue technical and institutional consultations, prepare a comparative study, and develop an implementation roadmap before any decision on adopting a model for Lebanon.

Jaber said the Ministry of Finance had already enabled citizens to pay using credit cards and e-wallets through transfer companies, but described the proposed platform as a further step. He framed the development of electronic payment and collection systems as a priority within the ministry’s modernization plan.

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Shehadeh outlined the citizen-facing concept as a single mobile application through which users could settle obligations to ministries, government institutions and other bodies.

“The idea, in short, is that any citizen downloads an application on their mobile phone, through which they can pay all service obligations for all ministries, government institutions, or those owned by the Lebanese state, and others as well, as the platform is not limited only to state institutions,” he said.

Shehadeh added that the platform would not displace banks and money transfer companies that currently provide collection services to the state, calling it complementary to their work.